The Rock Lions will stay at home for another game and welcome The Villages Charter Buffalo at 4:30 p.m. on January 20th. The Rock will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings (they are ranked 442nd, while The Villages Charter is ranked 173rd).
The Rock posted their closest win yet this season on Thursday. They skirted past Newberry 56-53. The victory was just what The Rock needed coming off of a 59-37 loss in their prior match.
The Rock's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Stella Chigha, who scored 16 points along with nine rebounds and six steals. That's the first time this season that Chigha scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ruby Patterson, who scored nine points along with eight rebounds and five assists.
Meanwhile, The Villages Charter lost to South Lake on the road by a decisive 65-49 margin on Thursday.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Zion Mcrae, who scored 19 points along with six assists and two steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last 13 games she's played. Another player making a difference was Evah Watterson, who scored 15 points along with two steals.
The Rock's victory ended a six-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-16. As for The Villages Charter, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-8.
Everything came up roses for The Rock against The Villages Charter when the teams last played back in January of 2023 as the team secured a 75-35 victory. Does The Rock have another victory up their sleeve, or will The Villages Charter turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
